The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) on Oct. 21 searched the premises of Andriy Pyshnyi, head of the National Bank of Ukraine, a law enforcement source told the Kyiv Independent.

An air raid alert sounded in Kyiv at around 5:20 a.m. local time on Oct. 21 as drones approached the capital, which has faced an unrelenting barrage of Russian drone attacks this fall.

Russian troops launched attacks against Ukraine overnight with Iskander-K cruise missiles and 186 drones, including Shahed-type ones, the Air Force reported.

The number includes 1,820 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

Witkoff's movements are taking place while Kyiv's ties with Washington are sharply deteriorating due to concerns that the U.S. could be withholding the delivery of Patriot air-defense missiles funded by Ukraine's allies.

A city stretches out beneath the lens of a Russian drone. Roads, apartment blocks, parks, and office buildings come into view as the weapon closes in on its target. Footage like this has become all too familiar over the course of Russia's full-scale war, usually captured by small first-person-view (FPV) drones stalking anything that moves along the front line, from soldiers and vehicles in the kill zone to civilians on their way to work. Now the camera is mounted on a long-range Russian attack

An 81-year-old woman and an 83-year-old man were killed when Russian drones attacked the village of Korotych, Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported.

"Allies have or will send additional maritime patrol aircraft, radar systems, explosive exploitation teams, intelligence personnel, drones, and more to the Black Sea," U.S. Army Col. Martin O'Donnell, a NATO military spokesperson, said in a statement.

Ukrainian forces struck energy infrastructure in the city of Chystiakove in Donetsk Oblast, and blackouts were reported in Crimea amid drone fire, monitoring channels reported late on Oct. 20.

"This is very important for our people, as we can know when a Russian ballistic missile is incoming. Therefore, this morning began with positive signals from the American side," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi said Russia struck the operating room of the Strazheska Institute of the National Academy of Medical Sciences in Kyiv, injuring one patient.

Key developments on Oct. 20: * Ukrainian strikes on Yandex data centers disrupt Russian court hearings, media reports * Ukraine's HUR claims 108 Russian soldiers killed, 29 captured in Sumy Oblast operation * Power outages in half of Ukraine's oblasts after Russian assault on power plants * Fire at oil pumping station in Russia’s Tambov Oblast after drone attack, monitoring channels say * Poland has no Patriot missiles left for Ukraine, Sikorski says * Russian drones strike Kyiv hospital,

President Volodymyr Zelensky has spent much of the past two years trying to win over Donald Trump. Flattery, constant meetings, and carefully calibrated concessions have become hallmarks of his dealings with the U.S. president. But the strategy has failed, prompting Zelensky to change course and adopt a more confrontational tone. "Frankly, Trump has crossed the Rubicon," a Ukrainian official told the Kyiv Independent, summing up the mood in Kyiv following Washington's latest deals with Moscow

U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff will meet Russian officials in St. Petersburg on Oct. 21 to discuss European and U.S. proposals for peace in Ukraine, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said.

According to the SBU, Sharlai heads the department responsible for religious organizations within Russia's occupation administration in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. He also served as Russian President Vladimir Putin's trusted representative in occupied Melitopol during Russia's 2024 presidential election.

This year, the Kremlin has significantly increased its recruitment of foreigners into its army, with 16,168 individuals already identified in the first nine months of 2026, according to Ukraine.

From the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion, Russian forces have inflicted countless atrocities against Ukraine.

At the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, while in my hometown of Kyiv, I wrote an essay in German for a German website titled "Russia Dehumanizes the World." The Ukrainian translation of this text, published under the title "The Dehumanization of the World," was included in my new book, "Сплески" ("Splashes"). The essay ends as follows: "War. The Russians are near. Death is near. Death is a master from Russia. We are still here. We, Ukrainians. We, human beings. We,

According to HUR's Active Operations Department, the operation was carried out by its Group 10 special forces unit, which reportedly thwarted Russian offensive plans and prevented Russian troops from cutting off Ukrainian logistical routes in the region.

"I think the important takeaway for you is that there has not been some deliberate political directive to go out and harm Ukraine," Rubio said, acknowledging possible delays in interceptor shipments.

Lithuania said the drone entered its airspace from the Polish side before exploding on its territory on Oct. 18. Ukraine linked the incident to Russian jamming.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store and Finnish President Alexander Stubb are also taking part in the talks.

"We are maintaining all contacts that can help bring peace," Zelensky said upon arrival.

Ukraine has increasingly used long-range strikes and strikes against data centers to weaken Russia's ability to sustain the war.

"When we see Russia rebuilding its Arctic military footprint, pursuing hybrid strategies against its neighbors, and reshaping the security of the Arctic, it impacts the EU as a whole," said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Sikorski said that the shortage of missiles had worsened after the attacks on Iran.

"This measure was taken because ​we judged it necessary to facilitate an amicable resolution of the ‌issue ⁠and restore trust between the two countries," said Park Doo-soon, a spokesperson for South Korea's Foreign Ministry, according to Yonhap.

U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized Zelensky, saying Ukraine should consider finding someone else to negotiate on its behalf.

Colleagues asked their Hungarian counterparts to explain their position, but they did not, one diplomat said.

On the night of Oct. 20, Russia attacked Ukraine with 165 Shahed-type and other drones, 105 of them jet-powered, Ukraine's Air Force said.

To avoid overloading previously damaged equipment, power limitation schedules for industry will be applied across all of Ukraine, as well as hourly outage schedules in some regions, Ukrenergo announced.

The Russian drone crashed near a gas station in the Holosiivskyi District near the administrative border with Kyiv Oblast, according to Kyiv city mayor Vitali Klitschko.